Nursery-gate and window or aperture guard.



M. G. HILPERT.

NURSERY GATE AND WINDOW 0R APERTURE GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.23.19I6.

1,206,843. Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

q P 1 V) i 5 v i bi /{@51 Geo. .J// P5 Iii M. 6. HILPERT.

NURSERY GATE AND wmnow 0R APERTURE GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. l9l6.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gnvcnfo r WE/Eff G50. Bfi ALPEJET MEIER GEO. HILPERT, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

NURSERY-GATE AND WINDOW OR APEBTURE GUARD.

7 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Marni: Geo. HILPERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphinand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nursery-Gates and 'Window or Aperture Guards,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to safety 10 devices for protecting or guarding exposed places or openings, and has particularly in view a novel improvement in gates for nursery purposes, windows, etc.

Accordingly, the invention primarily conl5 templates a safety gate construction for guarding dangerous places for children, such as windows and other apertures, which may be cheaply constructed, light in weight, and automatically collapsible into a neat .and compact form whereby the same may be readily handled and conveniently packed for shipping or storing. the invention proposes to provide a novel collapsible aperture guard construction of such a character that a child cannot climb from one foot-hold to another nor become caught in the parts thereof, and on account of the yielding or flexible nature thereof, is not likely to injure itself by running or falling against the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device that is interchangeable end for end or top for bottom for engagement with permanently emplaced attaching and supporting members, and which because of its elasticity and flexibility can be readily adapted to openings of varying width, and mounted in practically any position. In this connection it may also be noted that the resilient or elastic construction of the device provides for automatically holding the same taut and secure to its fastening connections without the necessity of special attention other than the mere securing of the ends thereof to the fastenings.

\Vith the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the na ture of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction,

combination and arrangement of parts hereaccon'ipanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing Application filed March 23, 1916.

position.

That is to say,-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Serial No. 86,204.

part of a door frame with the present invention in normal collapsed condition, and swung on its supporting fastenings out of the doorway. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the lower portion of a complete door case with the present invention in service a portion of a. window frame, showing an application of the invention in a two-part construction adapted for guarding window openings. Fig. l is an elevation of the lower portion of a window frame showing the two-part window guard construction in expanded position. Fig. 5 isan elevational view showing a modification of the invention in its expanded condition. Fig. 6 is an elevational view showing a still further modification of the invention in expanded condition. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view showing more clea ly the connection of the rigid end frame bars of the gate with the pivotal supporting members. Fig. 8 is a detail view showing the means for attaching the pickets of the gate to the contractible side frame members. Fig. 9 is an elevation atright angles to the construction shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a detail view of the bracket member having a non-removable pin.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Although the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in several forms, in

all cases the essentia characteristics thereof are observed. Thatis to say, even though the structural details of the invention may differ to suit various requirements of use and manufacture, in all cases, and in all' forms of embodiment, the features of rigid end posts connected by elastic side frame members adjacent their ends and preferably having therebetween a suitable picket or filler construction. For example, the gate member shown in the drawings preferably includes the rigid end posts 1 and 2 and the side frame elements 3 and l respectively connecting the opposite ends of the rigid end posts to thereby provide a laterally expansible and contractiblc gate frame for supporting a collapsible picket or filler construction designated in its entirety by the reference numeral Referring more particularly to the rigid end posts 1 and 2 of the framework, it may be noted that the same are prefe ably Fig. 3 is a perspective view of formed of round smooth wood, and carry at each end thereof duplicate reversely arranged supporting members 7 having the offset perforated tongue portions 8 which are adapted to be pivotally held in the attaching bracket members 9 and 10 earned by the door frame. As will be apparent from the drawings the bracket members 9 include the spaced lug portions 11 for receiving therebetween the perforated tongues of the supporting members carried by the end posts of the gate, whereby the latter may be pivotally held in position by means of a pin 12 which though removable from the lower leaf of, the bracket is not removable from the upper one on account of the lug 12. The lower bracket members 10 preferably include an attaching plate and an upstanding pivot lug 13 for receiving the perforated tongues of the lower supporting members on,the posts, thereby facilitating the attaching of the device to the sides of the door or window frame. That is to say, since the lower bracket only comprises an upstanding pivot lug for receiving the supporting members at the lower end of one of the posts, it is comparatively easy to position the lower perforated tongue over the stud of the bracket 10 and then swing the upper perforated tongue between the spaced lugs of the upper attaching members, and

the whole locked in position by means of I panding or stretching from a collapsed con-- dition to an open service position, the said elastic side frame elements 3 and 4 which are continuous coil springs cause the picket or filler construction 5 lying therebetween to also open up or expand. In connection with the springs 3 and 4 it will be observed that the same are preferably of the coil or helical type, and are preferably closely wound so,

that the same may compact y collapse, though be readily adjustable to the width of the opening when desired. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 these springs have attached thereto a plurality of picket or filler elements P which constitute the filler construction 5 previously referred to, and in this example are preferably vertical bars or rods connected at each end with one of the coils of the spring at regular-spaced intervals. As will be observed from Figs. 8 and 9 these pickets may be attached to the spring by means of a bendable clip 14: which may be doubled upon itself, around the coil of the spring, and then inserted in a previously prepared slit 15 in the end of the picket. The ends-of this clip, may be then secured in the picket by means of suitable fastenings 16. Therefore, since these separate picket members comprising the filler construction 5 in this. form of the invention, are secured to the opposite elastic side frame elements 3 and 4, at regular spaced intervals, the same relative position between these members will always be maintained when the device is in either a collapsed or extended position, thou h of course, when the gate is expanded the fillers are spaced farther apart. This same character of construction may be carried out in duplex form to constitute a convenient type of window guard, as shown in Figs. 3 and at of the drawings. In this case the duplicate gate members A and B are employed, each having all of the essential structural features and characteristics of the gate shown in Figs. land :2. However, in this embodiment only the rigid end posts C and D are provided with means for being secured to the window. frame, while the inner post members E and F are preferably connected by means of a suitable coupling link Gr which may be conveniently applied to both the upper and lower ends of the posts E and F when the gates are in service position across the window. This construction permits of either one of the gate mem bers A or B being swung out of the window on its pivots as shown by the position of the gate A, Fig. 3, thus being clear of the window opening. 3

In the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 5, the only change contemplated, is in the side frame elements 3 and 4. That is to say, in this modified construction the elastic coil spring side frames are adhered to, but instead of having these members formed of continuous convolutions as in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, of the drawings, it is proposed to provide the same with straight portions 3 and l at regular spaced intervals to which the oppositeends of the picket members P of the picket construction may be attached by means of the clips 14:. These straight portions of the springs may occur at any suitable interval, according to the length of the springs and the number of pickets desired to be used in the picket construction, and are for the purpose of facilitating the attachment of the pickets or rods in position.

Another modification of the invention is shown in Fig. 6. In this embodiment, a structural modification exists in the filler construction 5. As heretofore all of the essential structural characteristics of the gate remain the same, and the elastic side frame elements 3 and 4 are preferably of the continuous coil type shown in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings. As shown the filler construction preferably comprises a plurality of spaced picket wires or rods 17 loosely connected at each end with suitable links 18, which are in turn loosely connected at spaced intervals with the coils of the spring frame members 3 and at. The rods 17 and links 18 in this construction are preferably of wire, and represent a conventional type of wire mesh which may be utilized to form a picket construction in place of rigid bars or rods shown in the .other forms.

From the foregoing, it is thought that it will be apparent that the invention provides.

a safety gate construction which is readily collapsible when released from its anchoring points at the sides of an opening, and which may be readily extended or stretched to guard an aperture of most any width within the limits of expansion of the spring side frame elements 3 and 4. Owing to the tension of the springs 3 and 1 when the gate is in position, it will be practically impossible for a small child to release the same from its fastenings, thereby providing in addition to the various features heretofore pointed out, a construction which is practically foolproof, and needs no special looks or keys for securely holding it in position.

iVithout further description, it is thought that the many features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent, and it will, of course, be understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A safety gate construction comprising a frame including end bars and helical spring members connecting the same.

' 2. A safety gate construction comprising a frame including rigid end bars and helical spring side members connecting the same.

3. A safety gate construction comprising a frame including rigid end bars, resilient frame members connecting the same, and a collapsible filler construction carried by the frame.

4. A safety gate construction comprising a frame including rigid end bars, expansible and contractible side frame members connecting the same, and filler bars connected members.

8. A safety gate construction comprising oppositely arranged holding means, resilient means connecting the said holding means, and ,filler elements engaged with said resilient means.

'9. A safety gate construction comprising oppositely arranged end frame members, resilient side frame members connecting the end frame members, and filler elements engaged with said resilient frame members.

10. A safety gate construction comprising oppositely arranged rigid end frame members, resilient side frame members respectively connecting the ends of said rigid end frame members, and filler elements engaged with said side frame members.

11. A safety gate construction comprising oppositely arranged rigid end frame members, spaced flexible and resilient side frame members respectively connecting corresponding ends of the rigid end frame members, and filler elements engaged with said side frame members.

12. A safety gate construction comprising oppositely arranged rigid end frame members, collapsible side frame members connecting with the extremities of said rigid frame members, and filler elements engaged with said collapsible frame members.

13. A safety gate construction including, in combination, fixed supporting fastenings, and a gate proper consisting of a resilient and collapsible frame having rigid members hingedly interlocked with said supporting fastenings.

14. A safety gate construction including, in combination, oppositely arranged sup porting fastenings one of which fastenings includes a non-removable shiftable pin, and the gate proper consisting of a resilient collapsible frame including a rigid end member hingedly connecting with said fastenings and locked in operative position with said pin.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MEIER GEO. I-IILPERT. 

